Chinese

A recent exhibition at the British Museum on the 14th century Ming Dynasty was accompanied by an exhibit book, Ming: 50 years that changed China. One chapter, by curator Jessica Harrison-Hall, Courts: palaces, people and objects, showcased dining in the royal circles.

Ornately-decorated, well-preserved clothing was among the treasures found in a husband and wife tomb dating to the 16th century, in Taizhou City, China. The tomb is believed to belong to the Wang family of the Ming Dynasty. (photo)

Twice in seven years, 1274 and 1281, the Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan tried to invade Japan. On one of those missions a ship sank in a typhoon off the island of Takashima. Now arhaeologists hope to learn the secrets of the Mongol warship from the recently-discovered wreck.

A team of archaeologists has discovered the remains of an ancient campsite for nomadic emperors from the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) in north-east China's Jilin province. One of four seasonal camps, the site is believed to have been an administrative centre during the reign of the nomadic Khitans.

The Freer/Sackler Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution presents an exhibition of Chinese landscape painting from the 10th through 13th centuries entitled Style in Chinese Landscape Painting: The Song Legacy, May 17–October 26, 2014.

"This is the Chinese version of Tupperware," says Andrew Watsky, professor of Japanese art history at Princeton, about tea storage jars that became a staple of the tea ceremony in 16th century Japan. Watsky spoke recently with Morning Edition's Susan Stamberg about the history of the ceremony.

The Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and Freer Gallery of Art of the Smithsonian in Washigton D.C. have received a US$1 million challenge grant, awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, to endow the position of an assistant Chinese painting conservator.

Experts renovating an ancient Buddhist temple in Lhasa, Tibet have discovered a number of murals dating to the Song Dynasty (960 to 1279). "This discovery is crucial for us to reconstruct the way of life of that period. We will do our best to restore the murals to their original state,they will no doubt become a national level artefact," said Chen Zujun. (photos)

The Spencer Museum of Art at the University of Kansas will present a two-day symposium bringing "together an international and interdisciplinary team of scholars from the arts, humanities, and sciences to explore the roles that color played in the society, politics, thought, art, and ritual practices of ancient and medieval East Asia." Deadline for online registration is March 1, 2013.

While rockets are often thought of as the realm of modern scientists and the military, they have their roots in medieval China. This article traces their roots from a 12th century party trick to their evolution as the terror of Mongolian invaders.

China had been an empire for over 1,000 year when the Mongol heir to Genghis, Kublai Khan, roared into the southern part of the country in the 13th century. Carrie Gracie of the BBC has a feature story.

In the 13th century, Mongol leader and Chinese ruler Kublai Khan attempted to invade Japan. A witness to the ill-fated attempt may have been found off the coast of Nagasaki in the form of a nearly-intact Chinese ship.

For the first time, Chinese archaeologists are getting the opportunity to mount a large-scale investigation of the Upper Capital of the Liao dynasty. The first structure excavated was the Qiande Gate of the royal city.

A display of 9th century Chinese pottery, discovered in 1998 in the wreck of an Arabic ship near Indonesia, has sparked controvery in the archaeological community. Shipwrecked: Tang Treasures and Monsoon Winds, was scheduled to be exhibited at Washington's Smithsonian Institution.

We the Barony of the Osprey do wish to extend an invitation to one and all to join us for a journey down the Silk Road in this the Year of the Metal Rabbit. Please come and join us at historic Fort Gaines on Dauphin Island for a weekend of fighting, feasting, and fun.

Several tons of copper coins dating to the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) were found recently in an ancient kiln in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. The coins were strung into ropes through a center hole. (photos)

In the 1990's, archaeologists were surprised to discover evidence of early western settlers in a remote town in China's Yongchang County on the edge of the Gobi desert, including a Roman style fort and nearby residents with blonde hair and green eyes.

Corrective lenses have a long history. Glasses filled with water and gems were used by Romans in the 1st century, while the Chinese developed spectacles in the 13th. In an article for the Telegraph, Victoria Ward looks at the history of eyeglasses.

Several new studies of the Bubonic Plague, which devasted Europe in the Middle Ages and the 17th century, have led researchers to the conclusion that the disease originated in China and was carried west over the Silk Road.

New York's Metropolitan Museum will offer visitors a glimpse of the delights of 13th century China when it plays host to The Legend of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty, an exhibit of "lavish costumes, stunning paintings and priceless jewels."

On an island in the middle of a remote lake in Siberia, not far from the Mongolian border, lies the fortress of Por-Bajin. Por-Bajin is an archaeological site that dates to the 8th or 9th century. Its walls enclose 7 acres (2.8 hectares), a maze of about 30 buildings.